LAPD chief William Bratton spoke out after some of his officers arrested photographers following loose-cannon Britney Spears.

And the top cop blamed the crazy stars - not the media documenting their downfall. “What we need is Britney Spears to stay home instead of traipsing all over town,” Bratton told a local radio station.

Officers forced photographers and cameracrews to keep walking on the sidewalk, arresting some who just stood waiting, accusing them of blocking the streets.

But Bratton made it clear where he lays the blame for the crazy situation in L.A. “What you have is several young women in this town and several young men basically making fools of themselves and tying up not only my resources but the resources of the media that would do better covering legitimate stories instead of a bunch of airheads running around out there,” he said.